28 November 2002, Thursday Edition

CONTENTS

Cufaj: A birthday in the Balkans (Koha Ditore)

Koha Ditore carries a commentary by its correspondent in Germany, Beqë Cufaj, who writes that Kosovo's chief administrator Michael Steiner is celebrating his birthday in Kosovo, in the Balkans; and 'whether they want this or not, 28 November links Albanians and Steiner with a holiday". The full text of Cufaj's commentary reads, as follows:

It isn't fate but neither is it a fatality that Michael Steiner was born on 28 November 1949. This is simply a fact that could even be called an accident. And this fact or accident was noted in this paper on 6 January 2002, in the first portrait of the third UNMIK chief in Kosovo. Since then, and since February 2002, when Steiner took up the post of the chief of the international administration many things have happened in Mitrovica.

And many things have also happened in Michael Steiner's capitol, Berlin; and despite the fact that the Government of the professional diplomat, Steiner, has remained almost the same. At least with its chiefs, Gerhard Schröder and Joschka Fischer. Both of them, with lots of hard work and fortune managed to win the mandate for governing the country which is going through a serious crisis in internal relations and relations with the classic and undisputable allies. This is first about the USA and the conflict with Iraq. Through this issue, Schröder managed to win over the pacifists by saying 'no' to the engagement with Bush in throwing out Saddam Hussein from power in Baghdad.

'There is no nation in the world that develops feelings of hostility against another people more slowly than the Americans. But no other nation finds it more difficult than America to make friends with a country with which they were once enemies.' Winston Churchill spoke these words in the autumn of 1946 at the House of Commons in London, immediately after Adolph Hitler's Germany signed the surrender, which to this day is a burden on the shoulders of the German nation, which is borne with such difficult in its relations between Berlin and Washington, London and Paris and between Berlin and the western world in general.
'The flash career' of the German diplomat
The German diplomat with a 'flash career' had to carry this burden in the German Foreign Ministry and his missions throughout the world.

When the chapter of the Kohl government was closed, this became Steiner's great chance and he rose to the position of a career diplomat. Because every diplomat dreams about the post of the senior advisor for foreign policy to the head of the government. This dream came true for Steiner in 1998, when Gerhard Schröder appointed him to the post. The result of Steiner's work is something which, in various meetings with journalists and people close to him, Schröder doesn't hide, when he says that he owes a lot to his advisor in the field of foreign policy.

This seems to have been paid off when after the Caviar Affair and his resignation under pressure from the German paper, Bildt Zeitung, Steiner got another important and challenging job: the head of the biggest UN administration outside New York, UNMIK.

And it seems that this work has satisfied Michael Steiner these nine months. Maybe not the same as his job in Berlin, but surely the same satisfaction as his other missions in Kinshasa, New York, Prague, Zagreb, Dayton, Bonn, Sarajevo, Bonn and Berlin. And then Prishtina.
Relations with the media
What I have noticed in the meetings, interviews, and on- and off-the-record talks with Steiner during the last few months is that he takes his work very seriously and with a commitment suited to a German. Always being careful to get good grades from the 'fourth estate' (the media) whenever he speaks about his work in Kosovo, Steiner is passionate and speaks with passion. This makes it difficult to find out what is going on inside him. Or, better said, he knows that he is first of all a diplomat and that this should be a priority when he meets with media representatives. This agreement and reciprocity have led to a situation in which Steiner has received good grades from the media, especially from both the leftist and rightist German media who haven't hesitated to praise the German 'top-diplomat' in Kosovo for doing a 'good job', 'an excellent job', 'an extraordinary job'.

And this happened due to the fact that Steiner was well aware of the nature of the media; he knew which journalists knew the Balkans and which ones came to talk with him about Berlin in Prishtina. However, Steiner never hesitated to say his dangerous and yet realistic sentence: 'I have in fact studied diplomacy and I am diplomat, but what I have to do in Kosovo is simply about work and internal problems.' Therefore, it should be no surprise that the queen of German media, the cynical German weekly newspaper Der Spiegel, didn't hesitate to refer to Steiner in a flattering portrait as 'The Tsar of Kosovo'!
Traces that will remain
It is still early, way too early, to say something about Steiner's work in Kosovo. What is known is that when he leaves Kosovo and takes on another post his traces will remain. And these traces will not be his signature to assist in forming the government and other Kosovar institutions, the arrest of former KLA members, his cooperative ventures and opening Kosovo to its neighbors, the fight against organized economic crime, the efforts to unite Mitrovica, and his letters and plans for the not-too-distant future that are linked to Kosovo's status and his difficulties in bringing what is called the 'giant turtle of UNMIK', 'the store doomed to chaos', the 'clock that is always five minutes late'. Steiner has worked on all these projects and very often Kosovar political leaders looked like unprepared marathoners trying to follow the pace of the German.

Another thing must be said in this respect. I have often been told by colleagues and friends in Kosovo that Steiner doesn't care about Kosovo and only wants to make a 'show' [to benefit] his career. I can't agree with this conclusion. I witnessed his meetings with top German and European personalities and journalists where no one from Kosovo was present. Steiner never hesitated to talk with even greater passion about the Kosovar reality and about his vision for Kosovo.

And I think that his vision was expressed best in the speech he gave to the famous University of Humboldt in Berlin. I think that Michael Steiner's 'Three times for Kosovo' was a necessary lecture for all Kosovar politicians whenever they meet with international officials or with their Balkan neighbors. I say this because, in addition to his experience, this speech concretely predicts what, in one way or another, is awaiting Kosovo.

In the end, there is Mitrovica. Steiner kept his promise. Things in Mitrovica are not like they were yesterday. And in a way Mitrovica is a reflection of Steiner's work. I guess that the result of his entire effort is that when he leaves Kosovo one day, it will be what he could turn it into; and in a UN mission it is very difficult to move forward from a dead stop. And this was and still is important for Kosovo.

For the time being, it is enough to say in this newspaper, whether we want it or not, by fortune and accident - but in no way fatality - Steiner's birthday is on the 28 November when the Albanians have their national holiday. And in a year or two, we will be able to give this accident a name, or an epithet.

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Palokaj: Albanians and Europe ninety years later (Koha Ditore)

Koha Ditore carries a commentary by its correspondent in Brussels, Augustin Palokaj, who writes:

While Kosovar leaders wonder where to celebrate the multiple national holiday of 28 November, whether in Vlora or Prishtina, we had the chance to celebrate it together with Albanian missions to EU, NATO and Albanian Embassy in Belgium. The symbolism of the meeting of Albanians in Brussels, even though invited in smaller numbers compared to other diplomats and institutional representatives, is meaningful. Albanians, no matter which part of the Balkans they come from, have the same aim, to live united some day in a United Europe; and then they would make Brussels their capital, as it is to 350 million other Europeans.

Ever since the existence of the Albanian state, Albanians have had doubts about Europe, distrust and a feeling that Europe always works against their interests. Historically it was like this, but Albanians are realizing that Europe is not what it used to be. Now, even though it doesn't have the full trust of Albanians, Europe is considered something to be desired and not as an enemy.

The present Europe, which is being united because it has set its goal for unification as a necessity, has the same importance and impact on the fate of all Albanians in the region. The increasing engagement of EU in the region has made Albanians look towards Brussels, no matter whether they live in Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia or Presevo Valley. The fate of all Albanians is in some way connected to EU, and in various ways, they are all directed towards Brussels.

Today, Albania is expecting the beginning of negotiations with the EU for the Agreement of Stabilization and Association that will lead the fatherland toward EU integration.

EU supports the economic revival of Kosovo and, in the meantime, the ways and means for integration are being sought. Albanians in Macedonia are moving towards the EU within their own country, while there are one million Albanians living in EU countries (especially in Italy, Greece and Germany). For Albanians, Europe is no longer the 'Old Bitch' [sic], but their goal.

The European future that is offered to the Albanians doesn't imply that Europeans have good opinions of Albanians. According to polls conducted by EUROBAROMETER, the EU office for surveys, Albania is least wanted country to join the EU. Albanians are often portrayed in the media as people that one should avoid and it is preferred not to have to deal with them. Surely, this is part of European prejudgments because, although they are moderated, Europeans are not immune from prejudgments. As usual, prejudgments are based on the behavior of a small number of Albanian criminals that operate in European countries. And the fact that one million Albanians living in the EU are honest people and integrated into the countries they live in doesn't make an impression compared to the attempt of Albanian gangs to kidnap a music star in Great Britain or the settling of scores between Albanian gangs in some European center.

The good behavior of the majority of Albanians in EU countries is not news for western papers compared to the news that an Albanian pimp has killed his cousin because she didn't agree to become a prostitute.

Therefore, in addition to the work of reconstruction in the country, and to political and economic reforms, Albanians must work to improve their image in Europe. After a long time of suffering, time has come when Albanians can cooperate with Europeans.

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Demarcation of the borderline shouldn't cause problems (Koha Ditore)

International representatives in Macedonia said on Wednesday that demarcation of the border between Macedonia and FRY shouldn't cause worries about possible violence.

Irena Guzelova, the spokesperson to EU Special Envoy in Macedonia, was quoted as saying that the "international community accepted the agreement for the border between Macedonia and FRY and it only remains to complete the demarcation of border lines in the field".

NATO spokesperson Craig Ratcliff said that the Alliance and international community consider that this issue isn't a 'sphere that should cause concern'. Stressing that this issue is not under NATO competencies, he added that everyone was trying to resolve the demarcation issue in the most clear and reasonable manner. 'This shouldn't cause any kind of violence. There is no reason for such a thing,' Ratcliff was quoted as saying in Koha Ditore.

Guzelova confirmed on Wednesday that the EU has designated one million euro to cover demarcation expenses and the money remains to be transferred.